This is a zine dedicated to black metal written by a follower of the left hand path, This zine has been around in a different format for a while and I have decided to make an edition for www.blogger.com, for more information email occultblackmetalzine@yahoo.com, new albums as well as classic albums will be reviewed on here as long as their good quality black metal,

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Minneriket are a solo project from Norway that has been featured before in this zine and plays an ambient form of black metal and this is a review of his 2016 album "Stjerner, Speil Og Svarteboker" which will be released in October by Asklen Black Art Records.

A very dark and raw black metal sound along with some grim yet depressive screams start off the album along with some melodic guitar leads also being added in at times and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard.

During the faster sections of the songs a great amount of tremolo picking can be heard and after awhile elements of dark ambient are added onto the recording and the songs also b ring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fat parts and the synths when they are utilized also takes the songs in a darker direction and you can also hear some melody in the guitar riffing at times and some of the tracks are very long and epic in length and when spoken word parts are utilized they give the music more of a ritualistic feeling and on the last track the vocals get very deep and demonic.

Minneriket creates another recording that remains true to the raw and atmospheric style of ambient black metal from their previous release, the production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics are written in a mixture of Norwegian and English and cover Faustian, Paganism, Existensialism and Melancholy themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Minneriket and if you are a fan of ambient black metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Vinterblot" and "How To Write Love in The Stars". 8 out of 10.

Irrillion are a duo from Venezuela that plays an instrumental form of atmospheric black metal and this is a review of their self released 2016 ep "Egledhron".

Acoustic guitar playing starts off the ep along with some nature sounds in the background before going into a heavier and darker direction and after awhile the music speeds up along with some tremolo picking and blast beats which also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling and a couple of the tracks are very long and epic in length.

No vocals or song writing are ever utilized and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and you can also hear touches of doom metal in the slower sections of t he songs and clean guitars can also be heard in certain sections of the recording and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and as the ep progresses acoustic guitars also return briefly while t he main focus is more on a heavier style.

Irillion plays a style of atmospheric black metal that is more guitar driven and raw than most bands of the genre while also keeping everything in all instrumental musical direction and the production sounds very dark and raw.

In my opinion Irillion are a very great sounding instrumental, atmospheric black metal duo and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Tierra Negra(Parte One)" and "Egledhron". 8 out of 10.

Rest are a band from Italy that plays a mixture of black metal, crust and hardcore and this is a review of their self titled 2016 ep which was released by Third-I-Rex.

Drum beats and a heavy yet dark guitar sound starts off the ep along with soem hardcore elements while the vocals also mix in the same style and when the music speeds up a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats can be heard which also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling.

Elements of both crust and d beat are a very huge part of the recording and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the solos and leads bring in a very dark and melodic style and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and the whole ep also always sticks to a very heavy musical style.

Rest plays a musical style that takes raw black metal, hardcore, crust and d beat and mixes them together to create a sound of their own and while the mixture of black metal and hardcore usually causes me to have a headache this band actually knows how to do it the right way, the production sounds very dark and heavy while the lyrics cover angry and hateful themes.

In my opinion Rest are a very great sounding mixture of black metal, hardcore and crust and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "I" and "IV". 8 out of 10.

Simulacro are a band from Italy that plays a mixture of post black metal and death metal and this is a review of their 2016 album "Echi Dall' Abisso" which was released by Third-I-Rex.

An almost silent sound starts off the album along with some clean yet distorted playing a few seconds later and once the music gets heavy you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording along with the riffs also bringing in a decent amount of melody and after awhile death metal growls are added onto the recording.

When the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard and the solos and leads are done in a very melodic post black metal style and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and female vocals can also be heard at times while t he rififng also adds in technical playing.

Some of the tracks are very long and epic in length while also mixing in some progressive elements and the vocals also bring in black metal screams at times and when fast tremolo picking is utilized it gives the songs more of a raw black metal feeling and there is also a brief use of spoken word parts and as the album progresses synths can also be heard in certain sections of the recording.

Simulacro plays a musical style that takes atmospheric and post black metal and mixes it with death metal to create an original sound of their own, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover mind's abyss and introspection themes.

In my opinion Simulacro are a very great sounding mixture of post black and death metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Eco II" "Eco V" and "Eco VIII". 8 out of 10.

Negative Symbols are a band from Germany that plays an instrumental form of black metal and this is a review of their self released 2016 album "Without Voices".

Acoustic guitar playing starts off the album and after awhile the music gets a lot more heavy and brings in post style of black metal while the fast tremolo riffs also gives the music more of a raw feeling and a decent amount of blast beats can be heard during the faster sections of the songs and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

Throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the solos and leads a re done in a very melodic fashion and none of the songs ever use vocals or song writing and clean playing can also be hear d in certain sections off the recording along with a couple of the tracks being very long and epic in length and when synths are used briefly they bring psychedelic elements onto the recording.

Negative Symbols plays a musical style that takes the cascadian, post and atmospheric forms of black metal and combines them together while also keeping everything instrumental and the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording.

In my opinion Negative Symbols are a very great sounding instrumental black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "I' "IV" "VII" and "VIIII". 8 out of 10.

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?1. Winterheart was started as a one-man band by Ádám Tóth in Budapest, Hungary in 2007 when he started to write songs for a debut album based on a concept as always. When finished the songwriting he wanted to be able to perform live and and to record it so he was searching for members. After playing with some people, he found the right man, Peter Nagy, so he joined the band as a drummer in 2011. We recorded our first full-length, My journey to suicide and played some gigs with a bassist too. A year later, Gábor Szalai and Zsolt Géczy joined the band as bassist and session (live) guitarist respectively. In 2014, we recorded our second full-length - Facing what I'm becoming - which was released by a russian label, Cvlminis records. This spring we have entered the studio to record our third album, called Nothingness.

2.So far you have released 3 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?2. I think they differ a lot to each other. In terms of sounding, in terms of songwriting and in terms of recording quality too to be honest. The first album was completely written by Adam and recorded in our rehearsal room, it had a raw, old-school sounding. I think it was a good way to introduce our music to the scene. Actually we have received very good feedback on that album. The second album's sound is more clear, the songs are more progressive and also the guitar and bass riffs are not so typical for the style too. We can call that album quite experimental. But again we recorded that album for several reasons by ourselves so it could show it strengths the way we wanted. Learning from that we have entered a professional studio for our third album to be able to reach the sound we really wanted. As for songwriting, now, for Nothingness it is a complete and perfect teamwork. Everyone adds his own and it creates a perfect harmony. I would say Winterheart now is what it can be heard on "Nothingness", the sound, the emotions, the lyrics, the guitar riffs, the bass and the drums is what we are. But one thing was always common in all albums and that is very important in our music: we write the songs in an intuitive way so it will make your music just like we are, so it will be honest. Maybe we could say we don't create music, we feel the songs.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?3. Whatever comes to my mind when being in the writing mood. But for some reason these are always "negative" feelings. I'm that kind of person who lives and feels his emotions very strongly and deeply and experiencing these "negative" feelings is very influencing. The loss, the grief, the depression, the loneliness, being hopeless are so much powerful than being happy or such bullshit. These affect in a much greater level and a much extended period and you'll never forget them. But really... I'm not controlling what I want to write, I write the lyrics based on what I feel, that's it. And this is what all kind of music should be about I think. Music should be honest, not fake, not manufactured or something.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Winterheart'?4. Good question! It's never easy to find the proper band name: you want it to represent your music style and lyrical topics, you want it to be easily remembered but without any cliches. The name comes from a song (actually a cover) from my all-time favourite band, Judas Iscariot. I found that Winterheart suits perfectly our music, it represents the cold, dark emotions.

5.Originally the band started out as a solo project but now have a full line up, what was the decision behind adding in more band members?5. Well I think we covered this topic in our first answer. Being able to play live is one of the reasons obviously but it is also very important that the quality of the music improved a lot. "Nothingness" album perfectly shows this, shows us.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?6. We use red lights on our concerts which we control by our feet based on the music. These are placed on the ground behind us so gives a really great look from the audience, we look like fucking silhouettes. We also have a smoke machine and some lights controlled by the drums. So actually we can make sure that the stage looks how we want to and it can really follow the music. It's important to create the matching atmosphere for the music.We also run a small booking agency - called Engulfing the void - to organize some gigs here in Budapest so we had the chance to play some really great shows for example with Nocturnal Depression, Forgotten Tomb or Selbstentleibung etc. Obviously these were great shows but we also really like playing in small clubs, especially in the Czech Republic. The audience there is very sick and supportive!

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?7. Yes, we will be playing here in Budapest in October with Infernal War, Outre, Fatality and Sekhmet, then we will perform at 10th Phantoms of Pilsen festival in Czech Republic which is actually one of our favorite festivals so it's an honor to be able to play there. Currently we also have a fixed date for April with two, well known depressive metal bands.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?8. Yes, it would be great to find a label we can have a deal with but we didn't have time to e-mail them yet.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of depressive and suicidal black metal?9. I think the feedback is quite decent. The people really enjoyed our first album and had some nice words on the second too. We believe the third, Nothingness will also have some nice reviews and satisfied listeners. Actually we think this album is a very strong one in every terms and people will realize and appreciate it.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?10. Our music always changes depending on our mood, let's say it evolves, it is a living thing just like humans. You are a different person compared to the one you were 10 years ago for example. We will have a new drummer starting from 2017 which certainly will affect our music - as I already mentioned, everyone is involved in songwriting. One thing is for sure that we will keep recording our albums in a professional way to make sure it sounds the way we want to.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?11. I think we are very open minded with music I think. At least I (Adam) for sure. I always look for the emotions in music, not the genre. I love listening to City and Colour anytime for example (that guy can always put me in deep depression haha), and a lot of post rock bands like This will destroy you or If these trees could talk, Mono, etc. But I also love the traditional, old school black metal, also the new styled too. My all time favorites are Judas Iscariot, Abyssic hate, Coldworld, Katatonia and Dodsferd I guess.These I'm really into Freitod's new album and into Dysangelium. As for the others, Gábor is a fan of traditional black metal stuffs like Satanic Warmaster, Membaris and Gorgoroth. Zsolt, our other guitarist has a very similar musical taste to mine while our drummer is mainly into progressive metal stuff, his favorite is Opeth.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?12. Well, thank you for the opportunity to share our thoughts and keep doing what you are doing. The underground scene needs such people to spread the disease! And don't forget people, the pain is everywhere, the pain is strong, destroy yourselves!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Rudra plays a musical style that takes black metal and mixes it with elements of thrash, death metal and Asian folk music to
create a musical style they describe as being 'vedic metal'
and this is a review of their 2016 album "Enemy Of Duality"
which will be released in December by transcening Obscurity
Asia.

Indian classical music along with some
melodic chanting vocals start off the album giving the
recording more of an esoteric and ethnic feeling and they
also mix in with the more heavy and melodic side of the
music and all of the musical instruments sound very powerful
while the vocals are mostly grim black metal screams.

When guitar leads are utilized they take Asian style scales
and mix them in with the more extreme metal side and a
great amount of blast beats can be heard during the faster
sections of the songs while spoken word parts can also be
heard at times and the songs also bring in a great mixture
of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

Elements of death and thrash metal can be heard in some of the guitar riffing and the tremolo picking when it is utilized gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling and the riffs also bring in a decent amount of melody and some of the percussion beats when they are utilized sound very tribal and a couple of tracks are long and epic in length and there is also a brief use of female vocals and acoustic guitars are added onto the last track briefly.

Rudra plays a musical style that is mostly rooted in black metal while also mixing it in with death, thrash metal and Hindu folk music to create a sound of t heir own, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover Vedic themes, Hindu Philosophy and Mythology themes.

In my opinion Rudra a very great sounding mixture of black, death, thrash metal and vedic folk music and if you are looking for something very original, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Slay the Demons Of Duality" "Seer of All" and "Ancient Fourth". 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

We just have released our Mini-CD "Son of Dawn", the successor of our two demos ("Begotten" and "Unchained From Slavery") and appetizer to our debut album, which we intent to release in mid 2017.

Now, our focus is set on the promotion of the band and its Mini-Album by finding a worthy label to release our upcoming material or labels that want to release our stuff on vinyl. Furthermore we are now rehearsing for our first two live gigs in November.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your 2 previous demo's?

NON SERVIAM BLACK METAL – this is our description of our kind of black metal. It is black metal in the old vein, no irrelevant wish-wash like most of the bands today. You can again expect catchy and furios black metal, the ancient way.

The main difference is, that ILLUM ADORA finally consists of 3 persons who are into the music and skilled on their instruments. We made a big step forward, improved the sound a lot, also the music. M. Marax pounding drums, Profanator on guitars and Hurricane Hellfukker doing vocals – this is the first real line up and as of now the core of the band.

3.The band has been around since 2011 but waited until 2015 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

Most of the time was wasted by finding fitting members. Other reason were too many promises happened by other people who wanted to work with me, but it failed in the end. Then I found a guitarist finally in my family even, T. Vogt was thankfully responsible for the guitar work on both demos and recorded all my ideas/riffs properly, so everything started eventually. Now, we are here...

4.You label your music as 'non serviam black metal, can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

I came up with this term already in my old band ZARATHUSTRA. We used it on our releases and merchandise as description for our music, our attitude and way of thinking.

It means that we do not define boundaries to ourself, never we will "obey" to others what should be done or what not while playing in a black metal band. Free spirits, free minds! And if we should fail with our luciferian mischief, we will do it with dignity.

5.Your lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism and Philosophical themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on the dark arts?

Lyrically I take my inspiration from thousand of things as I walk through this world with wide open eyes. I take most influences from darkness, eerie moments in life, the occult, dark medieval times, ancient history, religion, world-wide mythologies (esp. old Babylonian, Akkadian, Sumerian and Grecian), historical romans, philosophy/philosophers. I don't define any boundaries to myself. But of course I never would write about gore/porn/fun/political/sociocritical shit.

Lyrics vary a lot and tell about different things. They can be simple horror stories, even psalms from the bible (which are dark sounding to me), philosophical thesis, or occult topics. As long as the core is dark, evil and occult I will write about everything I want.

What the lyrics do express is up for the reader/listener. I am tired of imposing the listener what to think or to point my fingers on feeble sheeps. If you are brainless, the music is not for you.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Illum Adora'?

Illum Adora is of latin language and means "Worship Him" – like the old cult Samael album! I took it from the lyrics of COUNTESS' intro to their magical "Ad Maiorem Sathanae Gloriam" album. The band is my biggest inspiration and most important black metal band ever for me. It is heavily advised to check them out, if you have not done already!

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

It was not intented to be a live-band at all when I started the band back then. I was fine with just recording material to please myself. I have had enough stage experience with my former band ZARATHUSTRA and even with CRUEL FORCE, played a lot of shows in more than 10 years. But right now, with the right material, the best band-members one could imagine there is a new flame burning and it's about time to show the masses our understanding of black metal with plenty of atmosphere and power.

We are playing our 1st two gigs in November at the 20th anniversary of HELLBANGERS MOSELFRANKEN (with Unleashed) and SINISTER HOWLING (with Denial of God, Behexen, Front Beast and more).

You can expect a wild horde on stage and a good show, definitely...

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We already got lots of offers, even some serious one to play in California in 2017. Only time will tell what eventually will happen. After these two gigs mentioned above our main focus will be the debut album which we want to release in summer/autumn 2017. Also the promotion of "Son of Dawn" has priority right now, as well as finding a good label that want to release our material on vinyl and/or the debut album on all possible formats.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

For the first time I started to promote an ILLUM ADORA release myself by getting in contact with many new and old magazines and webzines. I think the first noticeable reactions are yet to come when being featured in the (big) zines, getting again in touch with my very old contacts from glorious label days and after our first, very promising gigs in November. Just a few days ago I spread digital promos to plenty of online zines and the feedback are 6 reviews and 4 interview requests within 3 days. The reviews are overwhelming so far, I am more than satisfied.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I have crystal clear visions about the future of the band, its direction musically, lyrically and visually. Music won't change much, but right now it is too early to tell something about our next material. "Son of Dawn" is the first work of the new line-up and I am pretty sure our collaboration will grow with every rehearsal we are doing. So, watch out for our future-material, there is more to come from us definitely and we will progress in composing and recording our music for sure.

11.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

At the moment none of us in involved or busy with any other bands or projects. In fact, both Profanator and M. Marax left their old bands due to several reasons so now they can set their focus on ILLUM ADORA exclusively.

I am still trying to bring new life to my FANzine HELLPIKE which I have started in 1998 and published 16 issues since then. But I am picky with finding new, worthy bands, don't want to waste my time on 1000 of useless, boring and same sounding material. Maybe I will find muse again to release a new issue in 2017, we will see. Furthermore I released the Mini Album via my own label KNEEL BEFORE THE MASTERS THRONE Rec. which finally celebrates a return with its first release in more than 5 years. I was forced to do a break for 5 years, but future looks brighter now so I can go on finally. There are many plans, but right now I am just glad to have the CD out. I think both ILLUM ADORA demos on CD will be the next release, still this year or early 2017. We will see what will happen next.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Musically it definitely is the 2nd black metal wave with all its great bands from all over the world, every now and then our roots are also shining through our songs, which means at times it sounds like the pioneer 1st wave, traditional, thrash and death metal. I am still stuck in the mid of 90s with all its classics. My range in music is quite huge, but it is not necessary to tell any names here. I am addicted to metal since more than 26 years and it will never change.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

NON SERVIAM!

Thank you for your support and effort. Interested people can reach us via

Monday, September 26, 2016

Daven are a solo project from Columbia, Missouri that plays an atmospheric and ambient form of black metal and this is a review of his self released 2016 ep "What Comes Next".

Ambient style synths along with programmed beats and nature sounds start off the ep and also mix in with the heavier riffs a few seconds later and clean playing along with acoustic guitars can also be heard at times while the vocals are mostly grim black metal screams and melodic chanting can also be heard in the background at times.

At times the music can get very experimental along with some symphonic elements also being utilized and the guitar riffs also bring in a decent amount of melody and on some of the tracks the synths bring in very haunting atmosphere and when the music speeds up a decent amount of tremolo picking and blast beats can be heard which also gives the recording more of a raw black metal feeling and there is also a great amount of melodic guitar leads and one of the tracks is all instrumental.

Daven plays a musical style that takes atmospheric black metal and mixes it with ambient music to create something very original, the production sounds very dark while the lyrics cover autobiographical themes.

In my opinion Daven are a very great sounding atmospheric ambient/black metal solo project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out t his ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Reaching" and "What Comes Next". 8 out of 10.

Vpaahsalbrox where a band from Texas that played a very raw and satanic form of occult black metal and this is a review of their 20o5 demo "14 Sovereign" which will be re-issued on vinyl in October by Pale Horse Recordings.

A very dark yet raw sound starts off the demo along with some high pitched screams and blast beats a few seconds later and the riffs also use a great amount of tremolo picking and the music is very heavily rooted in the 90's second wave tradition and at times melodies can also be heard in the music briefly.

Throughout the recording there is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and all of the musical instruments sound very powerful and when spoken word parts are utilized they also give the music more of a ritualistic and occult feeling and there is also a few seconds of growls and the songs never bring in any solos and leads and the whole demo sticks to a very heavy and raw style of black metal.

Vpaahsalbrox played a style of black metal that was very raw, aggressive and old school sounding while also having more of a crazier edge to them, the production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics cover Satanism and Enochian Magick themes.

In my opinion Vpaahsalbrox where a very great sounding raw and satanic occult black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this re-issue. RECOMMENDED TRACK "The Flesh i Have Given You". 8 out of 10.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Sedna are a band from Italy that has been featured before in this zine and plays a progressive mixture of post black metal, doom and sludge with some elements of ambient and drone and this is a review of their 2016 album "Eterno" which will be released in October by WOAAARGH.

Clean guitars start off the album and also mixes in with the heavier side of the music and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording and the songs also bring in a great amount of progressive elements and some of the tracks are also very long and epic in length.

Sludge style growls can be heard quite a bit throughout the recording and they also mix in black metal screams that are more on the depressive side and when the music speeds up a decent amount of blast beats can be heard and the solos and leads are done in a very melodic post metal style and the tremolo picking also gives the songs more of a raw feeling and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the slower sections of the songs bring in elements of doom metal and you can also hear touches of drone and ambient in certain sections of recording.

Sedna creates another recording that takes the atmospheric, progressive and post styles of black metal and mixes it with doom and sludge metal along with elements of ambient and drone to create their own sound, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover the awareness of the spirit of t he universe.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Sedna and if you are a fan of sludge and atmospheric post black metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Pillars Of Creation I" and "Mountains Of Creation". 8 out of 10.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Russia's Abigorum teams up with U.S.A's Cryostasium to create an album that mixes black metal with psychedelic, ambient, experimental and doom metal and this is a review of their 2016 album "Unholy Ghost Liturgy" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and Abstruce Eerie Radiance.

Ambient style synths start off the album giving the recording an atmosphere of a horror movie and also mixes in with the heavier side of the music and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats and tremolo picking can be heard which also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling.

A decent amount of melody can be heard in the guitar riffing and grim yet depressive screams along with psychedelic elements can be heard at times and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and as the album progresses the music gets more experimental while also remaining very dark and heavy.

Some tracks also bring in a small amount of clean guitars and some of the tracks are all instrumental and you can hear a touch of doom metal in the slower sections of the songs along with a few that are also very long and epic in length and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and when guitar leads are utilized they stick to more of a melodic style and a great amount of diversity can be heard throughout the recording and there is also a brief use of spoken word parts as the album progresses and they also bring in a cover of CME's "None".

Abigorum and Cryostasium creates a recording that takes the raw, depressive and atmospheric sides of black metal and mixes it with doom, ambient, experimental and psychedelia to create a very original style, the production sounds very raw yet powerful at the same time while the lyrics cover ghosts and paranormal themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding album from both Abigorum and Cryostasium and if you are a fan of the more experimental and ambient styles of black metal, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Unholy Ghosts" "Last Galaxy" "Essential Death" and "The Quiet Room". 8 out of 10.

Winterheart are a band from Hungary that plays a very depressive form of black metal and this is a review of t heir self released 2016 album "Nothingness".

Acoustic guitar playing which are also used on the other tracks. starts off the album along with some keyboards and whispers a few seconds later and spoken words are also used briefly and when the music gets heavy it goes for more of a depressive and suicidal style along with some grim yet high pitched screams..

All of the musical instruments on the recording have a very powerful sound to them and the tremolo picking when it is utilized also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling and when the music speeds up a decent amount of blast beats can be heard and there is also a brief use of growls.

The vocals also get very suicidal at times and as the album progresses the riffs start using more melody and when guitar solos and leads are finally utilized they are done in a very melodic fashion and some of the tracks are very long and epic in length along with spoken word parts also making a return on later tracks and there is also a brief use of atmospheric synths.

Winterheart plays a style of black metal that is very depressive and suicidal sounding while also having its raw and melodic moments, the production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics cover suicide and depression themes.

In my opinion Winterheart are a very great sounding depressive and suicidal black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Kill Me" and "Forgive Me". 8 out of 10.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Saudade are a band from London, Ontario., Canada that plays a very raw and depressive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2016 album "Diary Of Voices" which was released by Why Gang Records.

Classical guitar playing starts off the album before going into a heavier direction a few seconds later and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and the riffs also bring in a decent amount of melody and when tremolo picking is utilized it gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling.

Vocals are mostly grim black metal screams while also being very high pitched and depressive at times and blast beats can also be heard during the faster sections of the songs and the tracks also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the music also brings in a great amount of 90's second wave influences.

There is also a brief use of death metal growls and some tracks also mix in elements of bestial/war metal and classical guitars also return in some parts of the recording as the album progresses and when guitar solos and leads are finally utilized they are done in a very dark, raw and melodic direction and the last track is very long and epic in length.

Saudade plays a style of black metal that is very raw while also being diverse at times adding in some depressive, war and bestial elements along with a small amount of acoustic guitars on some songs to create something very different, the production sounds very dark, raw and lo-fi while the lyrics cover depression, suicide and self hatred themes.

In my opinion Saudade are a very great and original sounding raw and depressive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out t his recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Bow Towards Me" "Parasite" "The Long Winter" and "What Would Death Solve". 8 out of 10.

Nuclear Cthulhu are a band from Russia that is a side project from the embers of Blackdeath and plays a musical style they describe as being 'Goat Stoner Metal" and this is a review of their 2016 album "Desecration" which was released by Black Bunker Productions.

Ritualistic night sounds start off the album before going into a very heavy doom metal direction and after awhile grim black metal screams make their presence known on the recording and the riffing gets very melodic at times while stoner elements can also be heard quite a bit throughout the recording.

All of the musical instruments on the recording have a very powerful sound to them and the solos and leads also stick to more of a melodic style and a great portion of the tracks are very long and epic in length and the wolf sounds are also used on the other tracks as well while other songs also bring in elements of funeral doom metal.

At times the vocals also bring in a more depressive side to certain sections of the recording and there is also a brief use of tremolo picking which also gives the songs more of a raw feeling while the main focus is on a more slow musical style and there is also a brief use of melodic chanting and the last track is all instrumental.

Nuclear Cthulhu plays a musical style that takes black metal and mixes it with the stoner and funeral forms of doom metal to create a sound of their own, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover The Cthelhu Mythos and Misanthropy themes.

In my opinion Nuclear Cthulhu are a very great sounding goat stoner metal band and if you are looking for something that is different, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Great One" "Dream Of Cthulhu - Awakening Of Cthulhu" and "March Of Shoggoths". 8 out of 10.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Ov Shadows are a band from Sweden that plays an dark and raw form of black metal and this is a review of their self released 2016 ep "Monologues".

A very dark yet melodic sound starts off the ep before adding in black metal screams and when the music speeds up a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats can be heard which also gives the recording more of a raw feeling and the music also brings in more of a modern approach to the genre.

Throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the vocals also get very grim at times and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and guitar leads are only used briefly but done in a melodic fashion while all 3 of the songs remain true to a very heavy musical direction.

Ov Shadows plays a style of black metal that is very dark, raw, aggressive and melodic, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics cover the dark aspects of your shadow side.

In my opinion Ov Shadows are a very great sounding dark, raw and heavy black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACK "The Ash That Covers All". 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Zephyrus are a band from Portugal that plays a mixture of
raw black metal, thrash and d beat and this is a review of
their 2015 ep "The Domains" which was released by War
Productions.

A very heavy guitar sound starts
off the ep before going into more of a crust direction
while the vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams
and deep growls can also be heard at times and a great amount of thrash elements can be heard throughout the recording and all of the musical instruments sound very powerful.

Clean guitars can be heard in the music at times and the solos and leads a re done in a very dark, melodic yet old school tradition and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the songs also mix in elements of crossover and d beat and melodies can also be heard in some of the riffing and the tremolo picking also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling.

Zephyrus plays a musical style that takes a very raw and old school style of black metal and mixes it with thrash and crust to create a sound of their own, the production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics cover dark and angry themes.

In my opinion Zephyrus are a very great sounding raw black metal band with elements of thrash and d beat and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Rebel Against The Scorn" and "Thous Shalt Sip Your Own Poison". 8 out of 10.

Wolfhowl are a solo project from Greece that plays a very raw and atmospheric form of black metal and this is a review of his 2016 ep "The Purity Of Mother Nature" which was released by War Productions.

Open note riffing starts off the ep before going into a heavier direction where you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording while the vocals are mostly grim black metal screams and the solos and leads have a very modern yet melodic style to them and blast beats can be heard during the faster sections of the songs.

A lot of the riffing brings in a decent amount of melody and the tremolo picking also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mi paced and fast parts and some of the tracks are long and epic in length and there is also a brief use of spoken word parts and clean guitars are added on the last track

Wolfhowl plays a musical style that takes influences from the more atmospheric side of the genre while also taking it more into a raw and heavier direction, the production sounds very dark a nd raw while the lyrics cover nature, winter and darkness themes.

In my opinion Wolfhowl are a very great sounding raw and atmospheric black metla solo project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "By The Power" and "Mother Nature's Revenge". 8 out of 10.

Svartgren are a band from Serbia that plays a very raw form of black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Prazan Grob" which was released on vinyl by War Productions.

Distorted amp reveb's start off the album before going into a heavier direction where you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and the vocals are mostly grim yet high pitched black metal screams and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats are utilized.

During the faster sections of the songs the riffs use a great amount of tremolo picking which also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and when guitar solos and leads are utilized they are done in a very melodic fashion and the riffs also bring in a decent amount of melody at times and the songs are very heavily rooted in the 90's second wave style and the album also remains very heavy from beginning to ending of the recording.

Svartgren plays a style of black metal that is very heavy and raw in the second wave tradition while also giving their songs more of a modern twist, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics are written in Serbian and cover death, depression, misanthropy and nihilism themes.

In my opinion Svartgren are a very great sounding raw black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out the album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Od Pakla" "Svetlosti Tiha" "Hram" and "Ka Rubu Zaborava". 8 out of 10.

Sturmtiger are an international band with members from both Denmark and the United Kingdom that play a mixture of war, black and death metal and this is a review of their 2014 album "World At War 1914-1918" which was re-issued on cassette in 2015 by War Productions.

World War I era music samples and spoken word parts along with some people in the background start off the album before turning into a war which also leads up to a heavier musical direction along with some bestial vocals and grim black metal screams and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

A great amount of death metal influences can be heard throughout the recording and when the music speeds up it goes into more of a war metal direction along with a great amount of blast beats and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and when guitar solos and leads are utilized they are done in a very raw and chaotic style and the war samples are also used on the other tracks as well and the second side of a bonus live show which also shows some of t he riffs also bringing in a small amount of melody

Stormtiger plays a musical style that takes the heaviest and rawest elements of war, black, and death metal to create a sound of their own, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics cover World War I themes.

In my opinion Stormtiger are a very great sounding mixture of war, black and death metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Tank Attack" and "War Power". 8 out of 10.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Lux Ferre are a band from Portugal that plays a very raw and satanic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Excaecatio Lux Vertatis" which was released on cassette by War Productions.

A very distorted sound starts off the album and after awhile the music gets more heavier along with the riffs using a great amount of melody and tremolo picking which also gives the music more of a raw feeling while the vocals are mostly high pitched screams and when t he music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard.

Throughout the recording there is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some of the tracks are very long and epic in length while the music also brings in a decent mixture of both modern and old school influences and the guitar solos and leads are done in a very dark and melodic fashion and when synths are utilized they give the songs more of a ritualistic Feeling and as the album progresses a brief use of depressive screams can be heard and you can also h ear all of t he musical instruments that are present on the recording.

Lux Ferre plays a style of black metal that is very dark and heavy while also having its raw moments, the production sounds very dark and heavy while the lyrics are written in their native tongue and cover Satanism, Anti Christianity, War and hatred themes.

In my opinion Lux Ferre are a very great sounding raw and aggressive satanic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Luz Ofuscante da Verdade" "Cancao De Lcura" and "Sob O Veu Da Ignorancia". 8 out of 10.

Frost legion are a band from Portugal that plays a very raw form of black metal with elements of thrash and this is a review of their 2014 album "Death Of Mankind" which was released by War Productions.

Heavy guitar riffing starts off the album and brings in influences from thrash and after the intro speeds up and adds in blast beats along with a great amount of high pitched black metal screams and you can also hear a decent amount of melody in the riffs and the solos and leads are rooted in a more old school extreme metal style.

While a great amount of 80's and 90's influences can be heard throughout the recording the music still sounds very modern and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and when tremolo picking is utilized it gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording and all of the songs remain true to a very heavy musical style and one of the tracks is very long and epic in length and they close the album with covers of Darkthrone's "Transylvanian Hunger" and "Mayhem's Funeral Fog".

Frost Legion plays a very raw and aggressive style of black metal that is very heavily rooted in the 90's while also mixing in a touch of thrash, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics cover death, misanthropy, nihilism and mysticism themes.

In my opinion Frost Legion are a very great sounding raw and aggressive old school black metal b and with a touch of thrash and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Warmageddon" "Evil Unleashed" "Wasteland" and "Hateful Existence". 8 out of 10.

Duch Czerni are a band from Poland that plays a very raw form of depressive black metal and this is a review of their 2016 demo "Reality Of Black Spirits" which was released by War Productions.

Acoustic guitar playing starts off the demo along with some drum beats a few seconds later before going into a heavier direction along with some high pitched depressive black metal screams and the solos and leads are also done in a very dark yet melodic direction along with some angry spoken shouts also being utilized at times.

A small amount of melody can be heard in the guitar riffing and there is also a brief use of stringed instruments and acoustic guitars are also utilized on some of the other songs and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can also be heard which also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling while most of the music sticks to a slower direction.

Duch Czerni plays a style of black metal that is very raw and depressive sounding, the production sounds very dark and r aw while the lyrics are written in Polish and cover melancholy, grimness, and darkness.

In my opinion Duch Czerni are a very great sounding raw and depressive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this demo. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Cienie" and "Aura Melancholli Posepna". 8 out of 10.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Defuntos are a band from Portugal that has been featured before in this zine and plays a mixture of depressive black metal and doom and this is a review of their 2012 album "Vidas Vazias... Alamas Perdidas..." which was re-issued in 2016 on cassette by War Productions.

Female vocals start off the album and after the intro clean playing is added onto the recording along with some drum beats as well as some grim black metal screams which also use a rough yet melodic tone at times and a great portion of the songs are very long and epic in length and after awhile more depressive elements are added onto the recording.

A great amount of doom metal influences can be heard quite a bit throughout the recording and most of the songs are done with clean guitars instead of heavier riffs while still being very dark, depressive and grim sounding and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording and all of the tracks stick to a very slow musical direction.

Defuntos create something very different with this recording taking a depressive form of black metal and mixing it in with elements of doom metal while also avoiding any heavy and distorted guitars, the production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics cover death, suffering, sorrow, and longing themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording and if you are a fan of depressive black metal and doom, you should check out this re-issue. RECOMMENDED TRACKS "II" and "V". 8 out of 10.

Decayed are a band from Portugal that has had albums reviewed before in this zine and plays a very raw and old school form of black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Into The Depths Of Hell" which was released by War Productions.

Thunder and rain sounds start off the cassette along with some demonic voices in the background and you can also hear a small amount of synths and clean guitars and after the intro the music goes into a very fast and raw black metal direction that also utilizes a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats.

Most of the vocals are high pitched black metal screams and the music goes for more of the old school style of the genre and when guitar solos and leads are utilized they go into more of a first wave style and clean playing along with synths also makes a return in certain sections of the recording while the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

There is also a brief use of acoustic guitars and later on during the recording there is a cover of Bathory's "The Rite Of Darkness" and a couple of the tracks are very long and epic in length and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and one of the songs also brings in a brief use of melodic singing while a later track is all instrumental.

Decayed creates another recording that remains true to the raw and old school style of black metal from previous releases, the production sounds very raw yet heavy at the same time while the lyrics cover Occultism, Satanism, and Mythology themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Decayed and if you are a fan of raw and old school black metal, you should check out this cassette. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Realm Of Nis" "Of Anath and Moth" "From Hell They Rise" "The Beast Speaks". 8 out of 10.

Ukraine's Paganland have returned with a new album that continues the pagan black metal style of previous recordings and this is a review of their 2016 album "From Carpathian Land" which will be released in November.

Epic sounding keyboards start off the album along with some classical guitars a few seconds later and after the intro the music goes into a heavier direction while also keeping the atmospheric elements and the vocals are mostly grim yet high pitched black metal screams and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard.

During the faster sections of the songs a great amount of tremolo picking can be heard which also gives the music more of a raw black metal feeling and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while the riffs also use a great amount of melody and when guitar leads and solos are utilized they are done in a very melodic fashion and some of the tracks are also very long and epic in length and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and they also close the recording with an instrumental outro.

Paganland creates another recording that remains true to the pagan/black metal style of previous releases while also having its epic, raw and melodic moments, the production sounds very powerful while the lyrics cover Heathenism and Witchcraft themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Paganland and if you are a fan of pagan/black metal, you should check out t his album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "At the Heart Of Carpathians" and "The Gloom". 8 out of 10.